Mentha Longifolia Research Articles

Antibacterial spectrum of traditionally used medicinal plants of Hazara, Pakistan

The use of medicinal plants for treatment of infections is an old age practice. On the basis of this important practice, this study was initiated to evaluate the antibacterial effects of medicinal plants, commonly used by the community of Hazara region of Pakistan. Antibacterial spectrum of traditionally used medicinal plants was determined by disc diffusion method under incubation period of 24 to 48 h at 37°C. Four medicinal plants were tested against the different species of human pathogenic bacteria. It was observed that Incarvillea emodi have good activity against Proteus and significantly active against Staphylococcus . Vernonia anthelmintica revealed significant activity against Staphylococcus and Proteus . However, Pseudomonas is resistant to Adiantum capilus-veneries and this plant is negligibly active against other tested microorganism. Mentha longifolia is significantly active against Proteus , while negligibly active against other tested microorganisms. Escherichia coli is however, resistant to M longifolia . Keywords: Biological activity, medicinal plants, Incarvillea emodi , Vernonia anthelmintica , Adiantum capilus-veneries , Mentha longifolia , Hazara, Pakistan

Toxic effect of a selection of medicinal plant products against the parasitic bee mite Varroa destructor

Varroa destructor is a dangerous pest directly for beekeeping and indirectly for crops that require insect pollination. Acaricides appeared to be effective against Varroa mite but their application within the hives contaminates the wax and honey. The problems associated with the use of acaricides proved considerable incentive to develop new treatment strategies and screening for potential acaricides to minimize these problems. Natural products might provide effective solution to the problem of varroatosis. In the present study, we tested medicinal plant extracts including Achillea millefolium, Artemisia sieberi, Mentha longifolia,Peganum harmala, Satureja sahandica, Teucrium polium and Thymus kotchyanus, andFerula assa-foetida resin against varroa mite. The mortality was counted after first and second weeks of treatment and total number of dead mites was recorded. All plant extracts and resin showed strong toxicity. However, F. assa- foetida resin and A. sieberi and T. kotschyanus extracts were stronger plant materials in the all tested times and displayed the highest number of mortality. These results demonstrated that tested plant extracts and resin can be suitable alternatives to conventional chemical substances. Key words: Honey bee, management, plant extracts, plant resin, Varroa destructor.

Determination of antimutagenic properties of apigenin-7-O-rutinoside, a flavonoid isolated from Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds. ssp. longifolia with yeast DEL assay

Lamiaceae is an important plant family that has been investigated for its medicinal properties due to its large amounts of phenolic acids and flavonoids. Flavonoids have been shown to have antioxidant and antimutagenic activities in different test systems, but their certain mechanisms are still unclear. This study was designed to evaluate the mutagenic and antimutagenic activities of apigenin 7-O-rutinoside, a flavonoid isolated from Mentha longifolia (L.) Huds. ssp. longifolia. The possible antimutagenic potential of apigenin 7-O-rutinoside (A7R) was examined against mutagens ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) and acridine (AC) in a eukaryotic cell system Saccharomyces cerevisiae RS112. The results showed that A7R has different inhibition rates against EMS and AC-induced mutagenicity. Thus, the properties of A7R are of great pharmacological importance and might be beneficial for reducing the risk of reactive oxygen species-related diseases.

Rhizoctonia Web Blight-A New Disease on Mint in Israel.

Mentha longifolia is produced in and exported from Israel with annual revenue of US$16 million. In 2010, a severe epidemic of unknown etiology reduced growers' returns up to 50%. Disease symptoms included water-soaked lesions, necrosis, and web-like mycelia on plants. Two isolates (JV-1 and BS-1) from randomly selected symptomatic plants were identified as members of Rhizoctonia solani anastomosis groups 1-IB and 4HG-I, respectively. The fitness of JV-1 and BS-1 interacted with temperatures between 17 and 35°C: JV-1 grew faster and was more aggressive (P < 0.05) at lower temperatures (<24°C), BS-1 grew faster and was more aggressive at higher temperatures (>30°C), and the two isolates performed similarly at intermediate temperatures. Disease developed fastest at 24 to 28°C. Yield was reduced between 46 and 100%. In all, 77.5% fewer plants recovered from disease developing at 24 to 28°C than at 17 to 23 or 30 to 35°C. The relationship of disease to relative humidity (RH) fit a quadratic model (P < 0.0015, R2 = 0.98). Disease was most severe at 100% RH, decreasing by 1.3-, 1.9-, 3-, 4.5-, and 10.5-fold with the reduction of RH from 100% to 88, 76, 69, 55, or 49%, respectively. This is the first report of Rhizoctonia web blight in mint in Israel.

Chemical and Morphological Diversity in Wild Populations of Mentha longifolia in Israel

Populations of Mentha longifolia, an endangered species in Israel, were tested for essential oil composition and conservational ability. In 2002-2003, 25 wild populations country-wide were tested, indicating population divergence into two chemotypes. Chemotype A was characterized by high levels of menthone and pulegone, and chemotype B by high levels of piperitenone oxide and piperitone oxide. Chemotype A was more abundant (22 of 25 populations) than chemotype B (11 of 25 populations). However, a chemotype/population interaction was not recorded (P > 0.05). In spring 2003, seven of the 25 wild populations were resampled, propagated, and cultivated at the Newe Ya'ar campus. Then, in 2004, the propagated plants were tested for essential oil composition. The propagated plants maintained the essential oil composition as well as the chemotype-frequency distribution of the original wild population from which they were obtained. Since a chemotype/population interaction was not recorded, and the cultivated plants displayed the wild population essential oil composition, it can be concluded that i) the chemotype diversity is genetically based, and ii) the M. longifolia populations sampled can be horticulturally conserved.

Effects of Mentha longifolia essential oil on ruminal and abomasal longitudinal smooth muscle in sheep

Mentha longifolia is grown commercially for production of oils and leaves. For centuries, this plant has widely been used traditionally as a folk remedy for treatment of human and ruminant gastrointestinal complaints in the Northwest of Iran. The essential oil of the plant was extracted using hydrodistillation. In the present study a total of 12 constituents, representing 96.6% of the oil were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The main compounds were 1,8-cineole (19.8%), pulegone (17.3%), caryophyllene oxide (14.8%) and isomenthone (12.4%). The effects of 0.1 to 1000 g/mL essence of Mentha longofolia (EOML) on ruminal and abomasal smooth muscle of 24 healthy sheep were assessed in vitro. In the isolated ruminal and abomasal preparations, EOML (0.1–100 g/mL) exhibited a weak spasmogenic effect followed by relaxation and complete (p < 0.05) abolition of the spontaneous contraction at the highest dose (1000 g/mL). In contrast rat ileum only showed a dose-dependent relaxation effect, and tissues preincubated with EOML decreased the acetylcholine (ACh)-induced contraction. EOML (1000 g/mL) significantly inhibited the effect of ACh suggesting that the effect may be mediated via cholinergic receptors on smooth muscle. These primary data indicated that the plant contained spasmogenic and spasmolitic constituents. Moreover the results showed that the EOML profoundly alters gastrointestinal smooth muscle contraction in a dose-dependent and tissue-specific manner. The results suggested that EOML has the potential for development as a prokinetic and relaxant agent that may prevent or alleviate dysfunctions of gastrointestinal motility.

Comparative study of rosmarinic acid content in some plants of Labiatae family

Background:Plants of Labiatae are used in traditional medicine and phytotherapy. Rosmarinic acid (RA) is a phenolic compound which is found in many genus of Labiatae and exhibits important biological activities.Materials and Methods:In this investigation, RA contents of 29 species of Labiatae named Salvia officinalis, Salvia limbata, Salvia virgata, Salvia hypoleuca, Salvia macrosiphon, Salvia choloroleuca, Melissa officinalis, Origanum vulgare, Lavandula angustifolia, Rosmarinus officinalis, Thymus daenensis, Thymus citriodorous, Thymus pubescens, Thymus vulgaris, Zataria multiflora, Mentha piperita, Mentha pulegium, Mentha longifolia, Mentha spicata, Mentha aquatica, Mentha crispa, Perovskia artemisoides, Zhumeria majdae, Satureja hortensis, Satureja khuzistanica, Satureja bachtiarica, Satureja atropatana, Satureja mutica and Satureja macrantha were determined by using high-performance liquid chromatographic method.Results:The results showed that RA content in different species of Labiatae was 0.0-58.5 mg g-1 of dried plants. The highest amount of RA was found in Mentha species especially M. spicata.Conclusion:M. spicata can be considered as a new source of rosmarinic acid .

Antioxidant activity, the content of total phenols and flavonoids in the ethanol extracts of Mentha longifolia (L.) Hudson dried by the use of different techniques

In this study, we have examined the yield of extracted substances obtained by means of extraction using 70 % ethanol (v/v), the content of total phenols and flavonoids, as well as the antioxidant activity of the extracts obtained from the samples of the herbs dried by means of different techniques. Wild mint Mentha longifolia (L.) Hudson was dried naturally in a laboratory oven at a temperature of 45 ?C and in an absorptive low temperature condensation oven at 35?C. The highest yield of extracts was obtained from the naturally dried herbs and the lowest from the herbs dried in the low temperature condensation drying oven. The content of total phenols and flavonoids was determined by spectrophotometric methods with an FC reagent and by the complexation reaction with aluminium-chloride, respectively. The extract of the naturally dried herbs had the highest overall content of phenols (113.8?2.0 mg of gallic acid/g of the dry extract) and flavonoids (106.7?0.3 mg of rutin/g of the dry extract). The highest antioxidant activity determined by the FRAP and DPPH assay was determined in the extracts obtained from naturally dried herbs (2.76?0.15 mmol Fe2+/mg of the dry extract and EC50=0.022?0.001 mg/ml), while the lowest was obtained from the extracts of herbs dried in the laboratory oven (1.13?0.11 mmol Fe2+/mg of the dry extract and EC50=0.033?0.001 mg/ml). The HPLC-DAD analysis result show that the greatest content of phenolic compounds show extract obtained from naturally dried plant material. The dominant phenolic component in the all extracts is Kaempferol 3-O-glucoside. The content of all phenolic compound strongly depend on the drying conditions.

Repellent activities of some Labiatae plant essential oils against the saltmarsh mosquito Ochlerotatus caspius (Pallas, 1771) (Diptera: Culicidae)

The repellent activities of the essential oils of two Thymus (Thymus sipyleus Boiss. subsp. sipyleus and Thymus revolutus Celak) and two Mentha (Mentha spicata L. subsp. spicata and Mentha longifolia L.) species against Ochlerotatus caspius (Pallas, 1771) (Diptera: Culicidae) are presented. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation of the aerial parts of the plants in flowering period and repellency tests were done with a Y-tube olfactometer. All essential oils showed repellency in varying degrees and exhibited no significant time-dependent repellent activities. When all test oils compared for repellent activities there was no significant activity detected within 15 min exposure period. Mentha essential oils had better activity than Thymus essential oils, producing high repellency (73.8-84.2%) at 30th min on Oc. caspius. Mentha longifolia has the best mosquito repellent activity among the plants tested at the 25th min. Th. sipyleus subsp. sipyleus essential oil produced >85% repellent activity at the 15th min, but the effect decreased noticeably to 63.1% and 68% at 25th and 30th min, respectively.

Mentha longifolia in vitro cultures as safe source of flavouring ingredients.

In vitro plantlets and callus of M. longifolia were established and their volatile constituents characterized by GC-MS analysis of their headspaces (HSs) and essential oils (EOs). Significant quali-quantitative differences were found in the aromatic fingerprints in comparison with the M. longifolia parent plants. In fact, limonene and carvone were the main constituents in the EOs of the mother plants, while the aroma of the in vitro plant material were especially enriched in oxygenated terpenes. In particular, huge amounts of piperitenone and piperitenone oxide (75 %) were found for in vitro plantlets, while trans-carvone oxide (19 %) and trans-piperitone epoxide (9 %) were found in callus EO. However, the established in vitro plant material showed lack of pulegone and menthofurane, thus preserving an important feature observed in the volatile fingerprint of the parent plants. In fact, because of their well-known toxicity significant amounts of pulegone and menthofurane may compromise the safety using of mint essential oil. Therefore the in vitro M. longifolia plantlets and callus may be regarded as a potential source of a safe flavouring agent.

The effects of hydrodistillation and solvent free microwave extraction methods on the chemical composition and toxicity of essential oils from the leaves of Mentha longifolia L. subsp. capensis.

The effects of hydrodistillation (HD) and solvent free microwave extraction (SFME) methods on the chemical composition and toxicity of Mentha longifolia subsp. capensis leaves were studied. Colourless oils of 1.52 and 1.63% (wet/dry weight) were obtained from HD and SFME methods, respectively. Analyses of the two oils revealed a total of 21 components. These accounted for about 80% of the total oil composition. The HD oil was found to be characterized by monoterpenoids with oxygenated monoterpenes, such as menthone (41.9%), a-pinene (5.4%), pulegone (34.2%), β-pinene (2.4%) and 1, 8-cineole (6.5%). Other identified constituents, include cis-sabinene hydrate (0.4%), linalool (1.0%), piperitenone (1.3%), β-caryophyllene (0.4%), germacrene D (0.5%) and isomenthone (0.4%). However, the hydrodistilled oil showed the presence of 3 octanol (0.2%), bicyclogermacrene (0.1%) and caryophyllene oxide (0.1%) which were not found in the oil extracted with solvent free microwave extractor. The SFME oil was characterized by menthone (28.0%), a-pinene (3.6%), pulegone (23.0%), β-pinene (1.0%) and 1, 8-cineole (5.4%). Other identified constituents, include cis-sabinene hydrate (0.1%), linalool (0.5%), piperitenone (0.1%), β-caryophyllene (0.3%), germacrene D (0.2%) and isomenthone (0.3%). In vitro cytotoxicity test was also studied by brine shrimp lethality bioassay. At 40 µg/ml which was the least concentration used, the oil was not toxic; all the brine shrimps survived. While maximum mortalities happened at 200 µg/ml, the least mortalities were observed at 40 µg/ml. Key words: Mentha longifolia, essential oils, hydrodistillation, solvent free microwave extraction, toxicity.

HS-SPME-GC×GC-qMS volatile metabolite profiling of Chrysolina herbacea frass and Mentha spp. leaves

Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) comprehensive two-dimensional (2D) gas chromatography combined with quadrupole-mass spectrometry (GC×GC-qMS) with dedicated comparative data elaboration was applied to separate chemical patterns arising from the interaction between some Mentha species and the herbivore Chrysolina herbacea, also known as the mint bug. Upon feeding on different Mentha species (Mentha spicata L., Mentha × piperita L. and Mentha longifolia L.), C. herbacea produced frass (faeces) which were characterized by a typical volatile fraction. HS-SPME GC×GC-qMS analysis of the complex volatile fraction of both mint leaf and C. herbacea frass was submitted to advanced fingerprinting analysis of 2D chromatographic data. 1,8-Cineole, found in the leaves of all the Mentha species examined, was oxidized, and C. herbacea frass yielded high rates of several hydroxy-1,8-cineoles, including 2α-hydroxy-, 3α-hydroxy-, 3β-hydroxy- and 9-hydroxy-1,8-cineole. Upon insect feeding, several unknown oxidized monoterpenes, a p-menthane diol and three unknown phenylpropanoids were also detected in the frass volatiles. In M. longifolia, the occurrence of the monoterpene piperitenone oxide was found to be toxic and associated with insect death. The results of this work show that high throughput techniques such as HS-SPME and GC×GC-qMS fingerprint analysis are ideal tools to analyze complex volatile matrices, and provide a sensitive method for the direct comparison and chemical visualization of plant and insect emitted volatile components.

Isolation of 3 Flavonoids from Mentha longifolia (L.) Hudson subsp. longifolia and Determination of Their Genotoxic Potentials by Using the E. coli WP2 Test System

Flavonoids, abundant in most of plant species, are widely used in medicine and development studies on phytotherapeutic drugs due to their various biological activities. In the present study, 3 flavonoids, apigenin-7-O-glucoside, apigenin-7-O-rutinoside, and apigenin-7-O-glucuronide, were isolated from Mentha longifolia (L.) Hudson subsp. longifolia by using E. coli WP2 genotoxicity assay guided fractionation procedures. Later, the mutagenic and antimutagenic properties of each flavonoid were evaluated by using the same genotoxicity assay. The results showed that all the test compounds have significant antimutagenic activity at tested concentrations with or without S9 activation. The inhibition rates were between 25.3% (apigenin-7-O-glucoside with S9-2.0 μM/plate) and 59.0% (apigenin-7-O-rutinoside without S9-2.0 μM/plate). In conclusion, the results revealed that the 3 flavonoids from Mentha longifolia (L.) Hudson subsp. longifolia have significant antimutagenic activity, and the findings of the present study are valuable for further investigations, focus on the phytotherapeutic drug discovery. Apigenin derivatives can be thought as genetically safe at tested concentrations because they did not show mutagenic activity. Furthermore, they have also significant antimutagenic activity. These are valuable for further research focus on phytotherapeutic drug discovery and development.

Acaricidal Activity of Some Lamiaceae Plant Essential Oils against Tetranychus urticae Koch

Three plant essential oils, namely, Mentha longifolia L., Salvia officinaiis L. and Dracocephalum rnoldavicae L. were analyzed by GC/MS and tested for their toxicity and repellency against the tetranychid mite Tetranychus urticae Koch. D. moldavicae proved to be the most effective against T. urticae followed by S. officinalis and M longifolia. The LC50 values were 1.57 & 0.58; 2.24 & 3.33 and 2.85 & 3.52 for adults and eggs, respectively. However, all essential oils tested showed high repellency, shortened female longevity and oviposition period as well as reduction in the total number of deposited eggs. This result may be correlated to the differences in the chemical structure of these oils based on GC/MS analysis.

Lead Concentrations of Herbs Used in Van Herby Cheese

Van Herby Cheese is a traditional milk product including local herb species in eastern Turkey. This special milk product was previously produced only for the local market, but industrial scale production and marketing have recently started in the region. However, some quality characteristics such as microbial flora and heavy metal concentrations of this novel product need to be investigated. In this study, lead concentrations of 28 different herbs mostly used in Van Herby Cheese were analyzed by AAS. The highest lead concentration of 1.69 mg kg(-1) of the analyzed herbs was found in Mentha longifolia (L.) Hudson subsp. longifolia.

English

Mentha longifolia (Horse Mint; syn. M. sylvestris L.) is a well known species in the genusMentha (mint) widely applied in medicine as a constituent of various drugs, and is often used in aromatherapy. The current study was designed to investigate the antibacterial and phytotoxic capacity of methanolic extract of M. longifolia. Five hundred gram of shade dried whole plant in powdered form was subjected to extract in methanol, which yielded approximately 80 g of plant extract. The extract was evaluated for in vitro bioassay including antibacterial activity againstStaphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa,through agar well diffusion technique. The herbicidal potency of the extract was also evaluated by phytotoxic assay in two modes. The extract showed maximum antibacterial potential in various concentrations, and also showed a significant inhibition in growth of shoot and root in both modes of phytotoxic assay, that is, plate and field study might be due to the presence of bioactive constituents in extract. Key words: Mentha longifolia, antibacterial, methanolic extract, phytotoxic assay.

The most common medicinal plants of Sistan (Sistan &amp; Balouchestan province, Iran) and some ethnobotanical aspects

The uses of herbs to cure diseases have been common in folk medicine of Iran since the ancient times. In the present work, the most common medicinally important species used by local inhabitants of Sistan region in (south-east of Iran) were collected from various localities and identified by using related flora and comparison with herbaria specimens. This area is severely affected by arid and semi-arid climates with relatively poor vegetation. For each species botanical name, vernacular name, used part (s), popular medicinal usage, forms of preparation and application were also provided on the bases of ethnobotanical and folk beliefs in local culture. The essential oil content of some species is also determined by hydrodistillation method. Thirty species belonging to 22 families and 29 genera were recognized as the most common medicinal plants in the study area from which 2 species are cultivated (Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. and Aloe vera L.), while the others grow as wild species. Also, only 2 species are monocotyledons and the others are dicotyledons. Some of the most important medicinal plants such as Eucalyptus camaldulensis (4%), Cuminum cyminum L. (3.5%), Trachyspermum copticum Link (3%), Foeniculum vulgare L. (2%), Nigella sativa L. (1%), Mentha longifolia Huds. (1%) and Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. (0.75%) showed high quantity of essential oils (Table 1), while Peganum harmala L. had the least amount (0.015%). The life forms of these plants were also determined. These medicinal plants are used in traditional medicine as diuretic, stomach improver, wound healing agent, antipyretic, expectorant, etc.

Ethnobotanical studies in Astor valley, Nanga Parbat, Pakistan

Astor valley adjoin the eastern part of Nanga Parbat (Pakistan) consists of more than 100 villages. Local communities are dependent on surrounding plant resources for fruits, vegetables, fodder, shelter and healthcare. Data was collected through questionnaire and interview with 30 respondents from three villages Khumadas, Gorikot and Harcho. In total 33 plant species were recorded along with their local names, part used, purpose and diseases treated. The most commonly used medicinal plants are Mentha longifolia Huds. (Phhileel), Thymus linearis Benth. (Tumoro), Saussurea petiolata Komarov ex Lipsch. (Mumiran), Berberis lyceum Royle (Ishkeen), Cichorium intybus L. (Chitay iskanaji), Swertia petiolata Royle (Mumiran), Viola pilosa Blume (Lillio), Ferula narthex Boiss. (Sup), Bergenia ciliata Stein (Sanspur). The medicinal plants are used for stomach problem, cough, asthma, acidity, dysentery, pneumonia, cold, fever, blood pressure, eye diseases, dental diseases, swelling, anti-allergic, burning, skin problems, typhoid etc. The area depleted, due to over-exploitation of herbs and trees should be protected completely and attempt should be made to cultivate these plants at different localities and elevations. There is need to assess and identify the factors affecting biodiversity and indigenous knowledge system for mountain natural resource utilization and conservation.

Screening of Eurasian plants for insecticidal and growth inhibition activity against Spodoptera littoralis larvae

This paper presents the results of a screening of plant extracts obtained from 134 plant species of the Eurasian region for chronic toxicity and larval inhibition in Spodoptera littoralis larval growth. The extracts from Ailanthus altissima, Ajuga chamaepitys; Ajuga reptans, Angelica archangelica, Artemisia campestris, Buphtalmum salicifolium, Camellia sinensis, Chenopodium bonus-henricus, Eupatorium cannabinum, Foeniculum vulgare, Lythrum salicaria, Lythrum virgatum, Mentha arvensis, Mentha longifolia, Mentha suaveolens,Potentila argentea, Potentila fruticosa, Seseli pallasii and Vincetoxicum hirundinaria were selected, which caused both 100% larval mortality and growth inhibition higher than 75% after application of 15 mg dose of the extract in 1 g of food. Lethal doses and the effect of LD50 on growth inhibition and antifeedant were estimated in order to determine the differences in efficiency of the selected extracts based on the mortality results, the extract from A. archangelica seeds could be chosen as the most efficient one for its LD50 was significantly lower (0.4 mg/g) compared to the other extracts. Key words: Spodoptera littoralis, plant extracts, botanical insecticides, antifeedancy, acute toxicity.

Free radical scavenging (DPPH) potential in nine Mentha species

Mentha species are used in every day life in various food items. These species produce valuable secondary metabolites that scavenge toxic free radicals. Toxic free radicals can cause different diseases in the human body. In the present study free radical scavenging potential (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl scavenging activity) in nine Mentha species were investigated to evaluate and explore new potential sources for natural antioxidants. The activity was performed after different time intervals with incubation period of 30 minutes. The methanolic extracts revealed that significantly higher activity (82%) was observed in Mentha suaveolens, followed by Mentha longifolia (79%), Mentha officinalis (76%) and Mentha piperita, Mentha pulegium, Mentha royleana (75%), respectively. Significantly same activity was observed in Mentha arvensis and Mentha spicata. Lower activity was observed in Mentha citrata (64%). The present study revealed that these species can be used as natural antioxidants.